Manchester United prospect Chido Obi-Martin is set to check off a milestone and formality at the club this week.
Chido Obi-Martin will be 17 years of age come Friday (29?11). And, according to reports in his Danish homeland, Manchester United are ready to congratulate the former Arsenal wonderkid with a freshly-printed professional contract and a smooth ballpoint pen with which to sign his name on the dotted line.
Chido Obi-Martin set for professional Manchester United contract
After ending his final season at Arsenal with a remarkable flurry of goals, Obi-Martin has taken to life at Manchester United pretty impressively thus far.
The 16-year-old scored his fifth goal in five Red Devils appearances as Adam Lawrence’s fabulous Under 18 side cruised past Leeds 3-0 in the Premier League Cup last weekend.
And, while Obi-Martin could make his UEFA Youth League debut when United take on AZ Alkmaar in midweek, another major milestone in his footballing journey is also on the horizon.
According to Tipsbladet, Chido Obi-Martin will sign professional terms on his 17th birthday. A source speaking on behalf of Manchester United allegedly ‘confirms’ this to be true.
And perhaps the scariest aspect of Obi-Martin’s explosive first few weeks in that famous red shirt is that, after a couple of months out of action due to those negotiations with United and Arsenal, he is only now starting to get up to speed.
Former Arsenal starlet ready for ‘his next step’ at Man United
“He is in a good place after being without a club for a few months,” Denmark U18 coach Morten Eskesen told Tipsbladet a fortnight ago, a few days before Obi-Martin did what he so frequently does and found the net in a 2-1 defeat to Finland.
“He has not played 90 minutes since he was with us in Sweden in September to play. Since then he has trained for himself and has then been built up at United after he has changed there,” Eskesen adds, Obi-Martin initially making brief cameo appearances in his early outings with the Red Devils.
“We are in close cooperation with United in relation to having all his physical data sent over, and looking at how he has played. He wants to be able to go 90 minutes now. That’s his next step.”
Obi-Martin, of course, still has a long way to go before he can be considered a rival to Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford in Manchester United’s first XI.
But, according to Give Me Sport, technical director Jason Wilcox, academy chief Nick Cox and coach Darren Fletcher have been impressed enough by Obi-Martin’s impact to highlight his considerable talents to new head coach Ruben Amorim.
Perhaps, with plenty of game time coming in the revamped Europa League and the domestic cups, a first-team debut for the teenager might not be too far away after all.
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